Track lifting apparatus



Aug. 27, 1963 F. PLASSER ETAL TRACK LIFTING APPARATUS Filed May 26, 1959 United States Patent l 3,101,676 TRACK LIFTING APPARATUS Franz Plasser and Josef Theurer, both of .lohannesgasse 3, Vienna 1, Austria Filed May 26, 1959, Ser. No. 815,982. Claims priority, application Austria May 28, 1958 2 Claims. (Cl. 104-7) The present invention relates to improvements in railway track lifting apparatus and means for holding a track at a desired level.

lacking means mounted on a car frame and adapted to lift a track oif the roadbed are known, including hydraulically operated jacks with a foot piece engaging and bearing upon the ballast while a rail gripping means holds each rail and lifts it to a predetermined level.

It is one object of this invention to provide a track lifting apparatus of this type, which in no way interferes with the mobility of the car on which it is mounted while, on the other hand, being always ready for operation.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide an improved track levelling machine which, in a manner known per se, combines track tamping means with track lifting means mounted on a single car and wherein the track lifting means first raises and holds the track to the desired level, [and the track tamping means then tamps the road bed ballast to support the track ties firmly at this level.

The above and other objects are accomplished by pivotally mounting a track lifting apparatus on a car fname, the apparatus comprising a jacking means including a foot piece and a rail lifting member. When the apparatus is not needed, it is laterally pivoted into a rest position removed from the track. When in operative position, the apparatus is pivoted downwardly so that the foot piece engages -and bears upon the roadbed while the rail lifting member engages the rail.

According to one preferred embodiment, the jacking means comprises a pressure fluid operated cylinder carrying a laterally extending member adapted to subtend and support iarail. A piston rod is slidably guided in the cylinder and carries a foot piece at its lower end extending outwardly of the cylinder for engagement with the roadbed ballast in the operative position of the jacking means. Hydraulic fluid, for instance, oil, is preferably used for the operation of the cylinder.

In accordance with another preferred embodiment, the lateral pivoting of the jacking means is effected by pressure fluid operated means including a cylinder and a piston rod slidably guided therein, the piston rod being linked to the jacking means cylinder.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will appear more fully from the following detailed description of a specific embodiment thereof, provided merely for purposes of illustration and without in any way limiting the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawing,

FIG. 1 is a frontview of a track lifting apparatus according to the invention, partly in section and the view being taken along line 11 of 'FIG. 2; and

FIG. 2 is -a partial top view of a car frame carrying the track lifting apparatus, the view being taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown a car frame including uprights 1 and crossbeams 2. Each crossbeam lies in the vertical plane defined by a pair of respective uprights at each side of the car frame, with each upright extending susbtantially vertically above each rail of the track. The car frame also includes axles 3 for wheels 4 so that the entire structure is mobile on the 3,1 0 l ,6 76 Patented Aug. 27, 1963 track. Rails '5 rest on ties 6. The track ties are supported on the roadbed ballast 7.

The lifting mechanism or jacking means comprises a cylinder 9 carrying at its lower end :a laterally extending rail lift member constituted by a platform 8 fixedly attached to the cylinder and adapted to subtend and support rail '5 when the jacking means is in the illustrated operative position. Lift cylinder 9 has an upwardly extending lug 11' to support the cylinder pivotally on bracket 10 which extends laterally outwardly from upright .1. In this manner, the cylinder is pivoted about fulcrum 11.1 in the transverse vertical plane defined by each pair of uprights 1, the pivoting axis of the jacking means being substantially parallel to the track.

Piston 14 with its piston rod 13 is sl-idably guided in lift cylinder 9, the outer end of the piston rod extending downwardly from the cylinder carrying a foot piece constituted by a disc 12 which engages and bears upon ballast 7 in the illustrated operative position of the jacking means. Spiral compression spring 15 is mounted in the lower cylinder chamber to bias the piston 14 upwardly. A conduit 9' is connected to the upper cylinder chamber to supply pressure fluid, such as a hydraulic liquid, to the upper cylinder chamber whereby the piston may be forced downwardly against the spring bias.

The jacking means 8, 9, 12, 13 is laterally pivotal out of the range of the track 5, 6 to enable the car to move from track tie to track tie without interference from the jacking means. The preferred pivoting means of the invention will be described hereinbelow.

For this purpose, we have provided a cylinder 16 slidably supporting a piston 19 with its piston rod 20. A conduit '16 supplies pressure fluid, such as a hydraulic liquid or compressed air, to one chamber of the cylinder 16 while the opposite chamber houses spiral compression spring 23 to bias the piston outwardly against the lift cylinder 9. Similarly to cylinder 9, cylinder 16 also has an axially extending lug 13 pivoted at v18 to bracket '17 which is mounted fixedly on crossbeam 2. In this manner, the pivoting cylinder '16 is able to follow the pivoting movement of lift cylinder 9 when the pivoting means is in operation. As shown in FIG. '2, lift cylinder 9 has a lateral lug .21 to which the outer end of piston rod 20 is linked at pivot 22..

The hereinabove described track lifting apparatus is particularly useful on machines designed for positioning tracks on a predetermined level. Such machines are used to prepare the track for the subsequent tamping operation. In operation, about each eighth to tenth tie is lifted to the predetermined level of the track and is held in position by superficial tamping of ballast under the lifted tie so that the subsequently used regular tamper finds track sections lifted to the proper level.

A machine of this type is schematically illustrated in FIG. 2. The car frame carries conventional tamping tool assemblies 24', 24" adjacent each rail 5. Since the arrangement of pairs of reciprocable tamping tools mounted on vertically movable tamping tool carriers is well known in the art and forms no part of the present invention, apart from its combination with the track lifting apparatus described herein, the schematic indication of such campers at 2 4 and 24" is believed to suffice for the purposes of the present description, only the position of the tampers relative to the track lift-ing mechanism being essential.

As shown, a track lifting apparatus is mounted on the car ahead and behind the tampers in the direction of the track at each rail. Preferably, the uprights 1, which carry the four track lifting mechanisms, form part of the carriage supporting the tamping tool carrier.

A machine of this type replaces the heretofore used advance gang of workmen who were employed to produce the necessary preliminary lifting of track sections ahead of the track tamper.

The machine operates as follows:

The car is stopped in the approximate position indicated in FIG. 2. While the car was in motion, the lift cylinder 9 was outwardly pivoted, the pressure fluid supply through conduit 16' having been disconnected to permit spring 23 to move piston 19 outwardly and thus to pivot cylinder 9 about fulcrum 11. Pressure fluid is now supplied through conduit 16' to force piston 19 with piston rod 20 inwardly and thus to take along lift cylinder 9 until rail lift member 8 subtends and supports rail 5. Pressure fluid is now supplied through conduit 9 to move piston 14 with piston rod 13 downwardly against the bias of spring .15 until foot piece 12 bears upon ballast 7. Upon continuing the pressure fluid supply, the cylinder 9 with its fixedly attached platform 8 will lift the track, together with the car resting thereon. Meanwhile, the tamping tool carrier has been lowered so that the pair of tamping tools 24', 24" enters into the ballast on both sides of track tie 6 which is to be positioned at a desired level. Ballast is tamped under the tie to hold it at this level, whereupon the pressure fluid is removed from lift cylinder 9 to permit foot piece 12 to travel upwardly under the bias of spring 15, pressure fluid is removed from cylinder 16 to permit spring 23 to force piston rod 20 outwardly and to pivot cylinder 9 away from. the track and the tamping tools 24, 24" are raised out of the ballast to permit the car to move to the next station.

While I have specifically illustrated a pressure fluid operated jacking means, any known and suitable jack may obviously be substituted therefor, including rack-type or spindles. The only essential feature from the point of view of the present invention is the provision of a jacking means which may be pivoted out of the range of the track and which carries a rail lifting member which subtends and supports the rail when the jacking means is pivoted into an operative position.

Many variations and modifications of the structure may occur to the skilled in the art, particularly after benefiting from our teaching, without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A track lifting apparatus mounted on a car frame and comprising, in combination: a jacking means and pivot means supporting the jacking means on the car frame adjacent a rail of the track for laterally pivotal movement of the jacking means from an operative into a rest position removed from the track, the jacking means including a pressure fluid operated cylinder, a laterally extending rail lifting member carried by said cylinder, the rail lifting member being spaced from the pivot means to subtend and support the adjacent rail in the operative position of the jacking means, a piston with a piston rod slid'ably guided in said cylinder and a foot piece fixedly attached to the end of the piston rod extending outwardly from the cylinder.

2. A track lifting apparatus mounted on a car frame and comprising, in combination: at least one pair of transversely aligned jacking means, pivot means supporting each jacking means on the car frame adjacent each rail of the track for laterally pivotal movement of the jacking means from an operative into a rest position removed from the track, and means for pivoting each jacking means from said operative into said rest position and vice versa, the jacking jeans including a pressure fluid operated lift cylinder, a laterally extending rail lifting member carried by the lift cylinder, the rail lifting member being spaced from the pivot means to subtend and support the adjacent rail in the operative position of the jacking means, a piston with a piston rod slidably guided in said cylinder and a foot piece fixedly attached to the end of the piston rod extending outwardly from the lift cylinder, and the pivoting means including another pressure fluid operated cylinder, means for pivotally supporting one end of said other cylinder on the car frame at a point laterally removed from the first mentioned pivot means, another piston with another piston rod slidably guided in the other cylinder, the other piston rod having an end extending outwardly of the other cylinder at the end opposite said one end, and a link connection between said outwardly extending piston rod end and the lift cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 796,541 Tompkins Aug. 8, 1905 857,572 Amey June 25, 1907 1,183,879 Johnson May 23, 1916 1,602,023 Higginson Oct. 5, 1926 1,807,793 Moore June 2, 1931 1,831,670 Lavan Nov. 10, 1931 1,880,473 Pielhau Oct. 4, 1932 2,237,167 Skavinsky Apr. 1, 1941 2,546,206 Tucker Mar. 27, 1951 2,663,542 Lincoln et al Dec. 22, 1953 2,693,769 Herlehy Nov. 9, 1954 2,734,463 Hursh et a1. Feb. 14, 1956 2,736,268 Yohe Feb. 28, 1956 2,760,440 Kershaw Aug. 28, 1956 2,837,312 Troche June 3, 1958 2,869,476 Kershaw Jan. 20, 1959 2,966,123 Talboys Dec. 27, 1960 2,990,786 Kershaw July 4, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 299,265 Germany July 2, 1917 368,773 Great Britain Feb. 29, 1932 682,413 Great Britain Nov. 12, 1952 724,322 Great Brita-in Feb. 16, 1955 

1. A TRACK LIFTING APPARATUS M OUNTED ON A CAR FRAME AND COMPRISING, A COMBINATION: A JACKING MEANS AND PIVOT MEANS SUPPORTING THE JACKING MEANS ON THE CAR FRAME ADJACENT A RAIL OF THE TRACK FOR LATERALLY PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE JACKING MEANS FROM AN OPERATIVE INTO A REST POSITION REMOVED FROM THE TRACK, THE JACKING MEANS INCLUDING A PRESSURE FLUID OPERATED CYLINDER, A LATERALLY EXTENDING RAIL LIFTING MEMBER CARRIED BY SAID CYLINDER THE RAIL LIFTING MEMBER BEING SPACED FROM THE PIVOT MEANS TO SUBTEND AND SUPPORT THE ADJACENT RAIL IN THE OPERATIVE POSITION OF THE JACKING MEANS, A PISTON WITH A POSTON ROD SLIDABLY GUIDED IN CYLINDER AND A FOOT PIECE FIXEDLY 